solution’s customization – its real cost …

Posted at 16:27h in Business Intelligence by Roni Toledano 0 Comments
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Customization is one of the dirtiest word when it comes to customers’ services and projects.
In a way it can seem like a great concept : it seems to be a good way to solve a problem on a short period of time but probably the worst one on the long term.

The biggest misunderstood complexities of this method often result in an unacceptably high level of modifications : by not truly studying what needed to be changed and what it implies technologically speaking you can spend a tremendous number of hours in development.
Customizing an existing solution won’t help you for your future needs… Because it is adjusted to the current needs.

Let’s see closer those challenges…

Sliding away from the original idea
Quite often, almost anytime, while planning modifications what seems to be a small change can result in a major change. As your technical team will dive into the project they will start to understand what is really behind the changements and what it impliesThe beauty of a properly implemented BI solution is that everything is seamlessly and all the features and different parts of the software function in unison.
If a company has planned to customize a solution, they may quickly find out that small changes has an effect throughout the entire system even when it is not always obvious at the beginning.

Growth interruption
As said earlier, customization might sound like a good idea in the short term but can turn into a really nightmare for the long term. In another words, as the company is growing, its needs and its strategies is evolving. The customization that were done to handle yesterday strategies are not abe to follow news activities and therefore are difficult to change.
This can result in an outcome where the BI solution was bought to make the growth of the company a reality and as soon as it has grown it becomes a burden to sustain this growth.

No more Customer support
As you may know, if you boost up your small Volkswagen Polo with a motor of Buggatti, there are a lot of chance that the Customer support from Volkswagen is no longer able to take in charge your vehicle.
Basically it is the same with BI dashboard and ERP software : if you make/develop your own particularities you can not expect any software manufacturers or providers to back up your solution…

In order to offer your business a truly long-term solution as your business evolves and grows, your ERP software needs to constantly evolve with you. Changes to the regulatory environment, business practices and base computer functions are inevitable over time. Consider the dramatic changes that have incurred over the years surrounding international shipments, the Internet and regulations for food, pharmaceutical and chemical reporting – it becomes clear that your ERP system needs to be able to evolve rapidly to be a competitive weapon.

So before you take the last decision on your ERP/BI solution keep 2 important points : the solution should fit your need and any features should be originally present in the solution you choose.

At Bilbeo, we have developed a BI dashboard which do not need any specific development and will support your growth like no others.